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The Shift

Updated: Jan 28

The greatest predictor of whether someone becomes a billionaire is not intelligence or IQ, it is their parental financial wealth and their parental financial connections. In other words, it's nothing to do with them. In fact it has been demonstrated that billionaires do not have a high IQ - it is typically average or below average.


True intelligence and a high IQ are most highly correlated with whether someone can one put into words what nobody else has yet been able to define. Leonardo Da Vinci wrote that “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” This is the genius of the Buddha, Jesus, William Shakespeare, Albert Einstein, and Carl Jung, who were all spiritual Masters and were able to bringing simplicity to complex concepts: In other words, wisdom. Einstein famously said "If you can't explain it to a six year old, you don't understand it yourself."


No-one will be talking about any billionaires who are alive today in centuries to come, but we will always talk about the spiritual Masters; these people have collectively changed the course of human history, whereas billionaires have not: Very few billionaires serve humanity. They serve themselves; and this is their ultimate downfall. Most billionaires have terrible family lives, with divorce, mental illness, addiction, and legal cases running rife in their families. They often go from riches to rags in few generations, as has been shown in a multitude of studies over the last century. One can see this with great clarity. Pure financial wealth does not bring joy. Wisdom and Truth bring joy. This is the wisdom of the heart.



The Bible states in Romans 11:33 "Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God"


Wisdom brings problem-solving to life via action

Pragmatically, IQ is the measure of how well you can solve problems; wisdom is the knowledge gained from experience (yours and others) through solving problems such as philosophical and existential questions, which are the most difficult problems, and most rewarding, of all to solve. Pain and suffering are the touchstone of all spiritual progress and therefore wisdom. The function of wisdom is characterised as provoking the individual to consider the consequences of his actions both to self and their effects on others. Wisdom, therefore, evokes questions of should one pursue a particular course of action: It brings philosophy to life through action. Life must be lived forward through action: Søren Kierkegaard said that “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forward.” Aristotle believed people had to be mature enough for ethical reflection. Before this, they were not capable of true reflective thought. Nor should they be, say Carl Jung and Søren Kierkegaard. Carl Jung explains that the first half of life, from early age to midlife is like a rising sun: One is focused on external life: Career, achievement, strengthening of the ego, and relationships. There isn’t too much need to introspect and dig deep into the psychic hinterlands. Likewise, Søren Kierkegaard thought of early life as being the ‘aesthetic stage’. In this stage, one is focused on pleasure and hedonistic whims. It is only after people move past this stage they reach the ‘ethical stage’, which focuses on core values. It is only later in midlife and well into old age that deep inner reflection is required. In later stages the focus is on inner development, authenticity, purpose, creativity, Faith, and spiritual matters.


Carl Jung's greatest oeuvre was about the soul. Marcel Proust wrote "We don't receive wisdom; we must discover it for ourselves after a journey that no one can take for us or spare us." Wisdom is the intuitive thinking that you receive from your soul, your Higher Power, that informs every decision that you make, and that therefore determines the course of your life. For my full article on 'Wisdom and Truth' click on the following link:



The wisest quotes in relation to the shift

  1. The Buddha said about walking the true path that “No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.” On thought: “All that we are is the result of what we have thought: it is founded on our thoughts and made up of our thoughts. If a man speak or act with an evil thought, suffering follows him as the wheel follows the hoof of the beast that draws the wagon.... If a man speak or act with a good thought, happiness follows him like a shadow that never leaves him.” On seeking peace: “Peace comes from within.  Do not seek it without.” On purpose: “Your purpose in life is to find your purpose and give your whole heart and soul to it.”

  2. Jesus said, as recorded by Mark 12:30-31, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” On love, Jesus said in John 13:34 "A new command I give you: Love one another, as I have loved you." He also said in Mark 11:24 "Whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." And on service, he said in Mark 10:45 "For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many." In John 3:3 he said “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.” In Matthew 6:34 Jesus remarked on presence “Don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” In Mark 8:36 Jesus remarked on those who do not make the shift “For what shall it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and suffer the loss of his soul?" In Matthew 6:33 Jesus stated that with the rock-solid foundations of Faith, all is possible and new “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all those things shall be added unto you.” In John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” In Matthew 16:26 Jesus commented of the ego and psychological rebirth “For whoever would save his life will lose it (ego), but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it (rebirth of your psyche and soul through your Higher Power).”

  3. William Shakespeare wrote in Hamlet "This above all, to thine own Self be true" and "There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so."

  4. Carl Jung wrote "There is no coming to consciousness without pain"; "Where love rules, there is no will to power; and where power predominates, there love is lacking. The one is the shadow of the other"; "Man's task is to become conscious of the contents that press upward from the unconscious."

  5. Albert Einstein said that "There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." He also said that “In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity.“ and that "Creativity is intelligence having fun." On knowledge he said "Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world."


The brilliant Stoic philosopher Epictetus wrote two thousand years ago that "The essence of philosophy is that a man should so live that his happiness shall depend as little as possible on external things." External validation addiction and a craving for financial gain comes from our deepest human needs and fears: Of being unloveable, unloved, unworthy, that we will be abandoned and that therefore we will die. Becoming a billionaire is typically driven by self-hatred rather than Self-love; yet it needn't be that way.


External validation addiction is a survival response. It's a trauma response. External validation addiction underpins many mental illnesses and addictions. The causes, consequences, and recovery processes of the various types of addiction that are encompassed by external validation addiction are all the same. They may be deadly. Most of us don’t even know that we have this addiction: It's ubiquitous in our modern world. It's encouraged by marketing strategies, making you insatiable, keeps the consumerist economy afloat, fuels our 'Hustle Culture' and you are rewarded with accolades for pursuing it throughout your life: Until you burn out, when you are unceremoniously dumped on the scrap heap and replaced with the next external validation addict that comes along. And we are legion. We are whipped to the bone and crucified.


Rumi wrote "There is a basket of fresh bread on your head, and yet you go door to door asking for crusts." This describes the external validation addict very well: They may be surrounded by a banquet of love, and yet they go looking for crumbs on the floor. These tidbits and hollow attractions never satisfied our hunger. No matter how much we try, they only leave us more trapped in a dead-end search and less satisfied than ever. We find genuine satisfactions for our hunger when we develop self-love, form deep unconditionally loving connections with friends, develop a relationship with our Higher Power, and follow a path with our heart. All of that is available to us, and we only need to turn toward it to find it. Today, seek a real slice of satisfaction in life rather than settling for crumbs. Money alone simply buys you a better class of poverty. Money alone is a form of 'imitation love' and is the equivalent of the breadcrumbs on the floor when we are surrounded by the banquet of love that we cannot see.


Wisdom fills the hole in your soul

As St. Francis of Assisi wrote "What you're looking for is where you're looking from." You are the goal, the desired end-point, the pinnacle. Your saviour is you. Until we realise that we are enough, no gold medals, mansions, Oscars, immaculately manicured social media pages, nirvana at a Tibetan retreat or transcendence in a jungle will fill the hole in your soul. None of those things will change who you are. You are enough: Already. Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) in 'Fight Club' said "The things you own end up owning you... It's only after we have lost everything that we are free to do anything." The great paradox of our dysfunctional Dystopian society, riddled with a pandemic of mental illness, is that we want all the material gains, accolades, and 'likes' on social media and yet we want to have the same freedom that only comes through non-attachment to material having and longing. And with each passing day that collective cognitive dissonance grows. Something is going to give... As Jack Sparrow said in 'Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl' "Not all treasure is silver and gold, mate." Vanity is in vain. As the Marquise de Merteuil said in the film 'Dangerous Liaisons' "Vanity and happiness are incompatible."


The fruitless pursuit of 'happiness'

Immanuel Kant, perhaps the greatest Western mind of all time, wrote "Give a man everything he wants and at that moment everything is not everything." Immanuel Kant presents a thought-provoking perspective on the nature of desire and satisfaction. This quote highlights the inherent paradox of human desires and the pursuit of happiness. Kant suggests that even if we were to fulfil all of someone’s desires and provide them with everything they want, it would not necessarily lead to complete fulfilment, joy, or contentment. This quote challenges the notion that material possessions or external circumstances alone can bring true happiness, emphasising the importance of inner fulfilment and the limitations of materialistic pursuits. You may ask "But what's wrong with that?" Exactly: QED.


Arthur Schopenhauer "Wealth is like sea-water; the more we drink, the thirstier we become; and the same is true of fame." Imitation love is insatiable.


If we don't know who we are we will never find abundance or external validation. Epictetus wrote "Know, first, who you are, and then adorn yourself accordingly." The order to how to live is BE, then do, then have: Never the other way around.


Epicurus wrote "Nothing is enough for the man to whom enough is too little." You would be well to heed these words in a world that always tells you to achieve or want more.


The shift

External validation addiction is nothing new. It's the human condition, but it is curable. Epictetus, the Stoic Greek philosopher who was born into slavery but came to be one of the most brilliant philosophers of all time, wrote about how the world works and how to live "He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has... To live securely, to be happy, to do everything as they wish to do, not to be hindered, not to be subject to compulsion." Epictetus taught that philosophy is a way of life and not simply a theoretical discipline. To Epictetus, all external events and people are beyond our control; he argues that we should accept whatever happens calmly and dispassionately. This is the only way to find peace and joy.


One can be intelligent and have no wisdom: The key to the shift is personal transformation by undertaking a Hero’s Journey. For this, you have to be ready and willing. It is simple but it is not easy. The result is a transition from being restless, irritable, and discontent to happy, joyous, and free.


Sri Aurobindo, the philosopher and yogi said that "True knowledge is not attained by thinking. It is what you are; it is what you become." We confuse power with invincibility. Power over people is a weakness that can be snatched, but power over oneself is true invincibility. Then, no one can touch you. Nothing matters. NO situation can change your state of being. Now, this is true invincibility. It starts from you, within you. The journey from confusion to clarity makes you emotionally invincible. The more you work internally, the more invincible you become to the outside world. Invincibility is not a show of money, status, or power. You can’t hide behind these fake securities. That equilibrium comes from your connection with your being of stillness.


Are you ready for the shift to wisdom, joy, and true wealth? Of course you can still become a billionaire via this route, but it will be a side effect rather than a relentless driving force based on childhood trauma (just look at Trump's dysfunctional family), ego and scarcity, which ultimately does not last. The greatest leaders have abundance aplenty, Real personal Power, and this requires wisdom, clarity, and Self-reflection.


Speak in such a way that others love to listen to you: Listen in such a way that others love to speak to you.


George Bernard Shaw wrote that “Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” Are you ready to change your mind?


Speak in such a way that others love to listen to you: Listen in such a way that others love to speak to you.


George Bernard Shaw wrote that “Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” Are you ready to change your mind?


Namaste.


Sending you love, light, and blessings brothers.


Olly



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Hello,

I am delighted and enchanted to meet you. I coach men with 'Deep Coaching', 'Supercoaching', and Transformative Life Coaching (TLC). Thank you for reading this far. I very much look forward to connecting with the highest version of you, to seeing your highest possibility, and to our conversations. Please do contact me via my email for a free connection call and a free experience of coaching on Zoom or in person. 


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I have a Bachelor's degree in Natural Sciences from Trinity College, Cambridge; a Master's Degree in Philosophy from Trinity College, Cambridge; a PhD Doctorate in Scientific Research from University College London (UCL); a Medical Degree (MD/MBBS) from The Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine, London and have been a doctor and reconstructive trauma and cancer surgeon in London for 20 years. I have a number of other higher qualifications in science and surgery. I have published over 50 peer reviewed PubMed cited scientific journal articles, have been an associate editor and frequent scientific faculty member, and am the author of several scientific books. I have been awarded my Diploma in Transformative Life Coaching in London, which has International Coaching Federation (ICF) Accreditation, as well as the UK Association for Coaching (AC), and the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC). I have been on my own transformative journey full time for over five years and I am ready to be your guide to you finding out who you really are and how the world works.




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